Heel for footwear.



R. S. GRAHALVL HEEL FOR FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1912v LWLQfiW Patented Jan. 13, 1914 y WITNESSES: [NVE/VYOR fifo%er. raham 62W By z /la/w W44 v 0 if pair sa aries ra rnn r ROBERT S. GRAHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF ONE-THIRD '1'!) WILLIAM E. GRAHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ONE- THIRD TO RAYMON 1?, MORSE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HEEL FOR FOOTW'EAR.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhat tan, county and State of New York, have invented a certain-new and useful Heel for Footwear, of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention is a heel for boots, shoes and the like, and the object is to relieve the jar on the muscles of the foot and leg which follows when the heel strikes the ground.

Many attempts have been made to solve this problem, but so far as I am aware, all prior heels have been defective tor one cause or another. Among the forms of heels best known to the public, are all rubber heels, and composite leather and rubber heels. All rubber heels, while affording a desirable cushion, are ditlicult and insecure of attachment, do not wear Well, and soonbecomc as objectionable to the wearer as are the hard unyielding heels, for the reason that they become too soft and easy. Heels composed of leather lifts with an interposed rubber lift; have not been attached in such manner at the bot-tom layer is precluded from hecoming loosened and having a tendency to catch against stairtreads, gratings, etc, so as to form a menace to the wearer. Ob viously, a composite heel should not be nailed in the same Way 'as a hard still leather heel, for to do so would be to render the composite heel equal ,in hardness and rigidity to the all leather heel. Accordingly, it has been proposed to ,cement the interposed rubber layer to the upper part of the heel, and to attach the bottom leather lift to the heel by nailin the front partto said heel, thus leaving t e bottom lift unattached tor practically its length and width except at said front edge. It is at once apparent that the bottom lift does not possess that security of attachment which is so essential to a' heel designed to withstand rough usage and wear, for the reason that such lift is liable to catch in stairtreads and in gratings, etc., thus pulling the tread easily oil the heel, besides tending Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. 13, 19142.

Serial No. 681,958.

to trip the wearer, resulting in possible inury.

I am aware that it has been proposed to employ a bottom littt composed partly of rubber and partly of leather, and, further,

that it has been proposed to tasten an all rubber bottom lift to a heel by the use of a leather binding fitted in a recess oi? the heel and fastened to the trout and side portions of said heel; but neither of these devices is satisfactory for several practical reasons.

The present invention embodies a. heel composed of all-lcather hits, or oil leather and rubber litts. so nailed together that the bottom lift is capable of a certain degree of action independently of the upper part 0? the heel, thus producing); a heel the litre of which are. not only securelyattached, but the heel is capable of use in such manner that the jar is taken oil the foot and leg. The lower part of the heel is fastened at its trout edge. and along the two side edges for a part of the way, by nails which attach said l iwer part securely and rigidly to the upper part, said lower part being free or unattached at the rear and for a part of the two side edges. The lower part can not become detached accidentally, but the roar of said lower part is capable of action indepcndcntly of the upper part. Practical experience has conclusively shown that a.

heel constructed in accordance with this in vention operates in a manner to relieve the shock or jar when walking, and that the lower part will not become torn oil even though the heel is caught in a grating, etc.

in the accompanying drawings, 1 have illustrated different embodiments of the invention, but the constructions shown therein are to be understood as illustrative only and not as defining the limits oi the inreution. Figure l is a plan view of a heel embody in};- the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sec-- tion of, a heel composed wholly ll. leather layers. Fig. 3 is a similar section of a heel composed of leather layers and a rubber or equivalent cushion material interposed be tween certain leather layers. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing one method of nailing I the lower party of the heel at its front edge,

the two side edges, and across the breast. Fig. "5 is a plan view illustrating another method of nailing the lower part of the heel to the upper part thereof.

A designates the rear part of a sole, and B, C designate the upper and lower parts of a heel. The upper part of the heel is composed of a series of leather lifts b which are fastened solidly to sole A by any desired arrangement of nails Z) dri enthrough the leather lifts or into the sole in the usual manner. The height of part B forming a part of the heel is not equal to the height of the finished heel, but the complete heel is composed of parts B, C, the latter being attached to the part B bynailing in the novel manner shown in Figs. 1, 4 or 5.

Part C of the heel may consist of a single layer of suitable material, but it is shown in Figs. 2 and?) as composed of lifts c, 0. Each lift consists of a single continuous piece of leather of suitable size and thickness. The two lifts c, c are attached together at the rear edge thereof by wear short nails d, but as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, these wear nails do not extend through the lift 0, and, accordingly, these wear nails do not enter the upper part B of the heel.

Part C is attached to part B by nails 6, f, g. Nails 6 are driven in a row through the front edge of-part C so as to enter upper part B to any desired extent. Nails f are driven through the lower part C for a desired distance along one side edge thereof, whereas nails 9 'are likewise driven through lower part C,and for a desired distance, along the opposite side edge thereof, whereby nails e,'f, g, operate to firmly attach lower part C at its front and respective side edges to the upper part B in such a,

manner that the rear and side edges of part C are not attached in any way to the upper part B. By this construction the rear of lower part C is capable of action independently of upper part B, and this independent action is obtained in all leather heels, like Fig. 2, or in a composite heel of the form shown in Fig. 3, wherein the heel is composed partly of leather and a layer of cushion material, such as rubber or its equivalent, indicated at D. The leather lifts composing the upper part B are secured firmly together, in the manner heretofore described, by nails 6, whereas a cushion layer D of rubber, or its equivalent, is applied to the under face of part B. The lower part C is fitted against the under side of cushion layer D, and these two elements, to wit, lower part C and cushion D are firmly attached to upper part B by nails 6, C, 9, driven in the manner heretofore descri ed, through part 0 and cushion layer D. In practice, cushion layer D constitutes an element of the upper part B, but the lower part C is capableof the independent action at its rear relative to the cushion layer D when the latter is employed in the construction of the heel of Fig. 3.

The method of-nailing shown in Fig. 4 is essentially the same as that heretofore described, to wit, a row of nails 0 is driven through the forward part of the heel, nails f, 57 are driven through the forward part of the heel at the respective side edges, and if desired, an additional row of nails h is driven through part C across the breast thereof, the rear of lower part C being unattached and capable of the independent action relative to the upper part. The number of nails in the front edge and forward parts of heel part C is not material, and in Fig. 5 there is shown a single front nail e, and two nails f, g. at the forward side edges of heel part C. lVhile the arrangement of Fig. 5 may answer certain practical requirements, it is preferred to employ the nails arranged in rows 6, 'f, g, substantially as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The loWer part C of the heel may consist of a single layer composed of a continuous piece of leather, but to provide for increased service of the heel it is preferred to employ two leather layers each composed of a single piece of material and said layers being united to.each other at the rear by wear nails (Z. Obviously, the wear nails are not essential.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings it will be seen that I have provided a heel. composed of two parts, an upper part andda lowerpart, the upper part being rigidly and firmly attached to the shoe, whereas the lower part is attached in a peculiar manner to the upper part. The lower part is fastened at its front edge and for a part of the two side edges to the upper part B so that the lower part C of the heel cannot become accidentally torn off the heel, but at the same time the rear of said lower part C is. capable of such independent action relative to the upper part that a cushion is effectually produced between the upper and lower parts- B, C at the rear of the heel, thereby relieving the muscles of the foot and leg from' the shock and jar which necessarily follows the impact of the heel with the ground.

Having thus fully described. the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: x

A heel embodying an upper part secured solidly to a shoe, a lower part the rear of which is free to act independently of the upper part, and attaching nails positioned at the front edge and at the respective side edges of the upper and lower parts, the side nails extending in rows from the front toward the rear and for substantially half the length of the heel, said nails at the front and name to this specification in the sides operating to so securely fasten the lower part that it cannot become accidentally detached. and said lower part being unattached. at its rear for the purpose of relieving the jar incident to the contact of the heel with the ground.

In testimony whereof I have signed my presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT S. GRAHAM.

Witnesses: I

H. I. BERNHARD, M. C. RODRIGUEZ. 

